TOP SHELF WINE WEEKEND: The nose on this monster is off the hook crazy intoxicating. The attack on the palate is less mind-altering initially, with a hyper-linear and primary delivery of powerfully torqued-up unripe black cherry, blackberry, cassis, gravel, and graphite. Finishes with a hit of firewater that washes over the flavors and halts the further expansion of flavor. With air – like, a lot of air – the purity of fruit becomes more evident. There’s a lacquery back end that shows polish and clarity but also leaves a bit of a numbing effect on the tail. Vigorous swirling and some parental scolding gave this budding Cheval better encouragement to behave in a more proper form. Begrudgingly, notes of forest floor, riper black and red cherry, black raspberry, purple violets, soil, forest floor, and river rock begin to release from its clenched and primary profile.
Though the 2010 Cheval was undoubtedly in a much better consumption spot, this 2019 will likely usurp the 2010 with similar bottle age down the road. The aromatics alone are enough to convince anyone that there is greatness lurking. Even now, with some browbeating, the 2019 shows gorgeous purity of fruit. Which one is “better” and which one will be “better” is a circular Nostradamic-type conversation. Guess I’ll just have to stock up on both. …Hold on a sec while I sell off some of my Berkshire Hathaway shares…
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Wild and Crazy Memorial Weekend - Saturday (Chris' Castle aka Melissa's Manor): As if the tasting wasn't crazy enough, we had a 2019 Cheval Blanc and a 2010. For me, this pairing separated the boys from the men....the guys who prefer little girls to grown women! Of course, the 2010 was clearly the better wine, yet there were some in the group who are young and impetuous, and they were wooed by the 2019's sexy aroma...like falling for a siren's song, they were too enchanted to see the forest for the trees....admittedly, the 2019 had the sexier nose. However, it is like seeing a beautifully dressed woman, and being smitten by her clothes rather than by what is underneath! The 2010 was so much more expressive, still young enough to woo you, but old and mature enough to keep pleasing you throughout the night!
This was my first sign that some of us were still too susceptible to quick impressions, and unwavering once wooed! We will see that again with the SQN flight that happened later in the evening!
OK...you're here for Cheval Blanc, so back to the 2019...this wine deserves a 95 just for the nose! It is quite intoxicating and lures you in with gobs of cherry blossom and violets, coupled with baking spice and even some fruit cake and cocoa. However, the palate is gobs of red fruit, chocolate and violets. Tannins are smooth, acidity is hard to judge at this stage, but I am assuming it is sufficient to give this wine a long life. A solid wine for such a youthful Bordeaux, and will no doubt shine bright down the road, but for now, too primary to rate higher.Solid 95 with lots of upside.
Note to self....I am liking Cheval Blanc more and more each time I taste it! Wish I had more of them!
Flavors of dark red fruits with an awesome freshness, deep earthiness and fruitful bitterness. Dark but shiny minerals also shine through on the palate.
I just wanna scream, "DRINK THEM YOUNG!" so badly but in theory they should get better with age.. I'm thinking like 6-10 years though, not like 20-25+ years. I'm shocked this showed so well on pop and pour.
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Memorial Madness at Case de Chris y Melissa - Day 1 of 2: My WOTN amongst the BDX wines on Day 1. Super floral and dark fruited. Incredible length and power. This is what I imagined BDX to be and with the 10 being so good as well, this producer is tops in my list now. I will be buying some of this! Thank you Prison King (Cristal2000)!
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Hard to work out what to make of this: on the nose shows Graphite, Band-Aid (!?!), and I noted tarragon (????): yea, I wouldn't believe me either. Palate shows lots of Graphite but in a dense package: very impressive, but denser and heavier weight than I look for in my claret. Epic Cheval-Blanc, but I preferred Lafleur '19 by a distance and I'd have called a coin toss between this and Figeac' 19 as best St Emilion (didn't try ausone), but of course this costs 3x what figeac does
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Nose: [58°] Intense, vivid and prickly floral notes, dried fine wood with a nice spice that's both prickly and cooling, black and red fruits, and earth basked in sunlight. [62°] Fruits develop into crushed, dark red fruits.
Palate: [58°-64°] Black and dark red fruits, black graphite, steeped tea, spiced new oak, cocoa powder, and both bright and dark minerals on the finish.
Attributes: Clear, dark medium ruby. Dry with medium to medium-plus amounts of fine, smooth tannin. Medium-plus body with medium to medium-plus acidity (well integration already if on the higher end). Great finish of at least 22-26 seconds.
Thoughts: Caught this one at a bad time. Really tight and wound up like a rose of Jericho. This started to flower a bit after getting some water around the 6 hour mark but closed up again shortly after. Definitely felt like I committed infanticide on this one. The peek I got from that short window of time seemed to tell me a lot though. Where this will land, I can't tell but it's gonna be good. Try not to open until another 4-6 years.
Serving notes: Bordeaux glass. Served one glass and emptied bottle into a decanter at cellar temp ~55° and consumed over 9 hours. Recommend serving ~62°-64° with a decant of at least 6 hours at cellar temp if opening now.
One of the few wines I did not receive a sample of to taste in barrel, it took only a moment to realize this was one of those rare, show-stopping gems that will blow your mind in the years to come. There is a unique, sensual texture here that screams opulence at every turn. The wines exotic nature is allowed to show its true character here. The non-stop layers of cashmere textured fruit is the perfect setting for all the perfectly ripe black plums, black cherries, blueberries, and blackberries, which are happy to display their gorgeous purity. The polished, silky finish holds your focus for over 60 seconds as it builds and expands. A worthy competitor to the incredible 2018, if you have the ability to purchase this wine, it is going to be a cellar treasure that people talk about for generations to come. Drink from 2035-2060.
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2019, Château Cheval Blanc, Saint-Emilion Grand Classé AOC. (58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Verkostet am 23. Juli auf Château Cheval Blanc). Kräftiges Rubin. In der Nase ein herrliches Parfum, dunkle und rote Beeren geben sich die Hand, super komplex, mit Rauch und Teer, ein ganzer Mix von feinen Gewürzen, dazu Eukalyptus, Minze, Salbeikräuter, herrlich, komplex, mit mehr Luft immer floraler werdend, zum Eintauchen. Im Gaumen dicht und konzentriert, einerseits weich und zugänglich, andererseits straff und klar definiert, sensationelle Struktur, das hat Power und Frische, Würze und Saftigkeit, man möchte gleich schlucken, grossartige Balance, hier ist alles an seinem Platz, die Gerbstoffe sind von höchster Güte, die Säure perfekt integriert. Ich behaupte, dass dieser Cheval Blanc einer der am frühesten zugänglichen sein wird, und dennoch hervorragend reifen wird. Einmal mehr hervorragend gearbeitet und mit Sicherheit einer der schönsten Weine des Jahrgangs. 2026-2050, 97-99/100 vvPunkte vvWine.ch
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10/31/2023 - kostaslonis wrote:
2019 Bordeaux Tasting, MW tasting (Vintner's Hall, London): 58% Mer 34% CF 8% CS, 14.50%, bottle open 2-3hr before
The wine feels big, fruity, smotth, spicy notes.
Big bold palate, slight, smoky/coffee/chocolate notes, goergeous palate, very tasty, welcoming, med finish, juicy tannins
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6/6/2023 - csimm wrote: 98 Points
TOP SHELF WINE WEEKEND: The nose on this monster is off the hook crazy intoxicating. The attack on the palate is less mind-altering initially, with a hyper-linear and primary delivery of powerfully torqued-up unripe black cherry, blackberry, cassis, gravel, and graphite. Finishes with a hit of firewater that washes over the flavors and halts the further expansion of flavor. With air – like, a lot of air – the purity of fruit becomes more evident. There’s a lacquery back end that shows polish and clarity but also leaves a bit of a numbing effect on the tail. Vigorous swirling and some parental scolding gave this budding Cheval better encouragement to behave in a more proper form. Begrudgingly, notes of forest floor, riper black and red cherry, black raspberry, purple violets, soil, forest floor, and river rock begin to release from its clenched and primary profile.
Though the 2010 Cheval was undoubtedly in a much better consumption spot, this 2019 will likely usurp the 2010 with similar bottle age down the road. The aromatics alone are enough to convince anyone that there is greatness lurking. Even now, with some browbeating, the 2019 shows gorgeous purity of fruit. Which one is “better” and which one will be “better” is a circular Nostradamic-type conversation. Guess I’ll just have to stock up on both. …Hold on a sec while I sell off some of my Berkshire Hathaway shares…
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5/27/2023 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wild and Crazy Memorial Weekend - Saturday (Chris' Castle aka Melissa's Manor): As if the tasting wasn't crazy enough, we had a 2019 Cheval Blanc and a 2010. For me, this pairing separated the boys from the men....the guys who prefer little girls to grown women! Of course, the 2010 was clearly the better wine, yet there were some in the group who are young and impetuous, and they were wooed by the 2019's sexy aroma...like falling for a siren's song, they were too enchanted to see the forest for the trees....admittedly, the 2019 had the sexier nose. However, it is like seeing a beautifully dressed woman, and being smitten by her clothes rather than by what is underneath! The 2010 was so much more expressive, still young enough to woo you, but old and mature enough to keep pleasing you throughout the night!
This was my first sign that some of us were still too susceptible to quick impressions, and unwavering once wooed! We will see that again with the SQN flight that happened later in the evening!
OK...you're here for Cheval Blanc, so back to the 2019...this wine deserves a 95 just for the nose! It is quite intoxicating and lures you in with gobs of cherry blossom and violets, coupled with baking spice and even some fruit cake and cocoa. However, the palate is gobs of red fruit, chocolate and violets. Tannins are smooth, acidity is hard to judge at this stage, but I am assuming it is sufficient to give this wine a long life. A solid wine for such a youthful Bordeaux, and will no doubt shine bright down the road, but for now, too primary to rate higher.Solid 95 with lots of upside.
Note to self....I am liking Cheval Blanc more and more each time I taste it! Wish I had more of them!
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5/27/2023 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine: 97 Points
Memorial Day Weekend, Day 1: Inglourious Basterds: The scent of a bunch of black and dark red jolly fruits, both intense and young. I wanna say neon but I will refrain..
Flavors of dark red fruits with an awesome freshness, deep earthiness and fruitful bitterness. Dark but shiny minerals also shine through on the palate.
I just wanna scream, "DRINK THEM YOUNG!" so badly but in theory they should get better with age.. I'm thinking like 6-10 years though, not like 20-25+ years. I'm shocked this showed so well on pop and pour.
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5/27/2023 - bsumoba Likes this wine: 98 Points
Memorial Madness at Case de Chris y Melissa - Day 1 of 2: My WOTN amongst the BDX wines on Day 1. Super floral and dark fruited. Incredible length and power. This is what I imagined BDX to be and with the 10 being so good as well, this producer is tops in my list now. I will be buying some of this! Thank you Prison King (Cristal2000)!
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3/19/2023 - ubercuvee wrote:
Hard to work out what to make of this: on the nose shows Graphite, Band-Aid (!?!), and I noted tarragon (????): yea, I wouldn't believe me either. Palate shows lots of Graphite but in a dense package: very impressive, but denser and heavier weight than I look for in my claret. Epic Cheval-Blanc, but I preferred Lafleur '19 by a distance and I'd have called a coin toss between this and Figeac' 19 as best St Emilion (didn't try ausone), but of course this costs 3x what figeac does
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1/22/2023 - WineBurrowingWombat Likes this wine:
Nose: [58°] Intense, vivid and prickly floral notes, dried fine wood with a nice spice that's both prickly and cooling, black and red fruits, and earth basked in sunlight. [62°] Fruits develop into crushed, dark red fruits.
Palate: [58°-64°] Black and dark red fruits, black graphite, steeped tea, spiced new oak, cocoa powder, and both bright and dark minerals on the finish.
Attributes: Clear, dark medium ruby. Dry with medium to medium-plus amounts of fine, smooth tannin. Medium-plus body with medium to medium-plus acidity (well integration already if on the higher end). Great finish of at least 22-26 seconds.
Thoughts: Caught this one at a bad time. Really tight and wound up like a rose of Jericho. This started to flower a bit after getting some water around the 6 hour mark but closed up again shortly after. Definitely felt like I committed infanticide on this one. The peek I got from that short window of time seemed to tell me a lot though. Where this will land, I can't tell but it's gonna be good. Try not to open until another 4-6 years.
Serving notes: Bordeaux glass. Served one glass and emptied bottle into a decanter at cellar temp ~55° and consumed over 9 hours. Recommend serving ~62°-64° with a decant of at least 6 hours at cellar temp if opening now.
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4/7/2022 - Ramonee Confit Likes this wine: 95 Points
95-97
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3/29/2022 - Jeff Leve wrote: 100 Points
One of the few wines I did not receive a sample of to taste in barrel, it took only a moment to realize this was one of those rare, show-stopping gems that will blow your mind in the years to come. There is a unique, sensual texture here that screams opulence at every turn. The wines exotic nature is allowed to show its true character here. The non-stop layers of cashmere textured fruit is the perfect setting for all the perfectly ripe black plums, black cherries, blueberries, and blackberries, which are happy to display their gorgeous purity. The polished, silky finish holds your focus for over 60 seconds as it builds and expands. A worthy competitor to the incredible 2018, if you have the ability to purchase this wine, it is going to be a cellar treasure that people talk about for generations to come. Drink from 2035-2060.
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12/11/2020 - watcheslover Likes this wine: 96 Points
Top quality but this year, i prefere Figeac, Canon and Larcis Ducasse
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8/1/2020 - vvWine.ch Likes this wine: 98 Points
2019, Château Cheval Blanc, Saint-Emilion Grand Classé AOC. (58% Merlot, 34% Cabernet Franc, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon. Verkostet am 23. Juli auf Château Cheval Blanc). Kräftiges Rubin. In der Nase ein herrliches Parfum, dunkle und rote Beeren geben sich die Hand, super komplex, mit Rauch und Teer, ein ganzer Mix von feinen Gewürzen, dazu Eukalyptus, Minze, Salbeikräuter, herrlich, komplex, mit mehr Luft immer floraler werdend, zum Eintauchen. Im Gaumen dicht und konzentriert, einerseits weich und zugänglich, andererseits straff und klar definiert, sensationelle Struktur, das hat Power und Frische, Würze und Saftigkeit, man möchte gleich schlucken, grossartige Balance, hier ist alles an seinem Platz, die Gerbstoffe sind von höchster Güte, die Säure perfekt integriert. Ich behaupte, dass dieser Cheval Blanc einer der am frühesten zugänglichen sein wird, und dennoch hervorragend reifen wird. Einmal mehr hervorragend gearbeitet und mit Sicherheit einer der schönsten Weine des Jahrgangs. 2026-2050, 97-99/100 vvPunkte
vvWine.ch
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